Synopsis
As the shadows of the Second World War roll in, Marking Time is the second beautifully and poignantly told novel in Elizabeth Jane Howard's bestselling family saga, The Cazalet Chronicles.
‘It seemed to her as though for the rest of her life she was going to have to endure undeserved attentions, to attempt insincere responses, to be seen continuously in the wrong light . . .’
1939. Home Place, Sussex. The onset of war banishes the sunlit days of childish games and trips to the coast, as a new generation of Cazalets take up the family's story.
Louise, who dreams of becoming a great actress, finds herself facing the harsh reality that her parents have their own lives with secrets, passions and yearnings. Clary, an aspiring writer, learns the devastating news of her beloved father’s whereabouts while away at war. Zoë, Clary’s stepmother, reacts to the news in a different yet equally heartbreaking way. And sensitive, imaginative Polly feels stuck – stuck without a vocation, stuck with the terrifying reality of the fragility of life, stuck without anything except her nightmares of the war.
Continue the dazzling historical series with Confusion.
‘Howard is a sharp observer of human drama and psychology, and writes about pain, loss and longing superbly well’ – Meg Mason, bestselling author of Sorrow and Bliss
Details
20 August 2026
9781037409141Reviews
What magic transforms a book into a compelling, moving, unputdownable read? I don’t know, but whatever it is, [The Cazalet Chronicles] have it. The characters! I cared about them so much. They behave in interesting, venal, believable ways. They’re recognisably human: frustrating, flawed, lovable. Maybe my favourite books ever
She is one of those novelists who shows, through her work, what the novel is for . . . She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts
Like [Elena] Ferrante, Howard’s fictional sphere is domestic and yet reveals deeper truths about human nature
Howard is a sharp observer of human drama and psychology, and writes about pain, loss and longing superbly well
